Sunday, April 15, 2012

Now, here is a great reason to come stay at our Lititz Bed and Breakfast.. an Alphorn Concert in Lancaster County! Lorenz Schwartz and Ernst Baenninger from Wattwil Switzerland are presenting an Alphorn and Yodeling concert on April 23 at 7PM at the Conestoga Mennonite Church, just west of Morgantown.

Life is interesting in how it so often circles around. When Werner and I lived in Switzerland during the early 80's, we would take our little girls Mirjam and Esther, both under 3 at the time, to a small inn in the Grissons (Graubunden) in a little storybook town of La Punt. This hamlet was just a few miles outside of the much better known St. Moritz, but had so much charm. The inn was amazing, though a bit rustic, and so much of what we do here at Swiss Woods started as a dream during our stays there. Lorenz and his wife Andrea ran the inn and we so looked forward to our winter trips there.
Today the Schwarzs live in Wattwil, just a few miles south of where Werner and I lived in the Toggenburg Valley. All this history,( a veritable trip down memory lane for me) just to say ....an alphorn and yodeling concert in Lancaster County! If you enjoy this kind of thing why not join us?

Saturday, April 14, 2012

My dad loved auctions, all kinds of auctions but especially those estate sales that went on all day and had everything under the sun for sale. He was very good at bidding and winning items at very good prices, oft times downright cheap! My younger sister and I would go along on Saturdays to these events, that were oft times very social and included great food. We would set up our folding chairs and watch as one item after the other found its way to be sold.

I was not very old when Dad gave me $10, a fortune back then, and allowed me to look around, choose something I might like to have and then, bid on it myself. My very first acquisition this way was a wash basket full of beautifully embroidered linen that I bought for next to nothing. I still have some of those beautiful pieces. From that moment on, I was hooked. Auctions were the best!

These days, Saturdays are busy and I don’t have much time to spend a whole day in this manner but Lancaster County still has many wonderful auctions any day of the week. Driving home yesterday from Lititz, I passed a sign for one just up the road and decided .. this one I will try and attend, and not just for the homemade chicken corn soup or hamburger bar-b-que.

Why not plan a trip to Lancaster County with just this in mind? Swiss Woods is not far from so many auction options. Wednesday’s Horst Auction center has indoor estate auctions just a few miles from the inn. They also run special auctions that include coins, folk antiques and other specialties. Spring and fall are prime times for estate auctions that take place at the property. Ask us for any that might be happening while you are here. We will be more than happy to help you find that perfect place to spend a Saturday morning watching the auctioneers gavel fall! You never know what you might find.